Kit Connor

Kit Connor is a bisexual British actor who came out publicly in November 2022 in a tweet that was as terse as it was definitive: "I am bi. Congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself." The announcement came after months of sustained harassment on social media, in which fans accused him of "queerbaiting" -- performing queerness for commercial benefit while being straight -- based on his having been photographed holding hands with a female friend. Connor had previously said he felt he was "not in a position" to clarify his sexuality; the harassment campaign forced his hand. The incident sparked widespread conversation about the ethics of demanding that young public figures disclose their sexuality and about the specific cruelty directed at bisexual people, whose identity is often dismissed or delegitimized. Connor plays Nick Nelson -- a bisexual teenager discovering his identity -- in Heartstopper (2022), and the resonance between his real experience and his character's journey of self-discovery has been widely noted. He also appeared in Rocketman (2019) as the young Elton John.